Wilderness.org - ancient forestshttp://wilderness.org/tags/ancient-forests
enForest victory - Roadless Rule upheld in Wyominghttp://wilderness.org/update/forest-victory-roadless-rule-upheld-wyoming
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Feb 17, 2012</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/UpperHoback-Basin-Daine-Corsick_0.jpg?itok=2FAkGq6d" width="500" height="263" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Upper Hoback Basin</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Diane Corsick</p>
</div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-headline field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">A federal appeals court in Denver has ended more than a decade of legal uncertainty for nearly 50 million acres of National Forest roadless areas located in 38 states across the U.S. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>On February 16, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously decided to deny the State of Wyoming&rsquo;s final effort to convince the court to reconsider its historic October 21, 2011 ruling that upheld the legality of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Wilderness Society, represented by Earthjustice, played in an important role in the case by intervening in defense of the Roadless Rule.</p>
<p>The Clinton Administration adopted the Roadless Rule in January 2001 after the most extensive public involvement process in Forest Service history.&nbsp; The Roadless Rule prohibited road building and timber harvesting in all of the remaining national forest roadless areas, allowing them to remain wild and open to hiking, mountain biking, hunting and other types of recreation.&nbsp; The Roadless Rule is one of the most significant conservation actions ever taken by the federal government, along with the 1964 Wilderness Act and the 1980 Alaska Lands Act.</p>
<p>Roadless Rule has been the target of attack since the day it was signed, including an effort by the Bush Administration to repeal the rule and multiple lawsuits filed by state governments and special interests.&nbsp;&nbsp; The most serious legal attack was the State of Wyoming&rsquo;s lawsuit, which prompted a federal judge in Wyoming to issue decisions in 2003 and 2008 invalidating the Roadless Rule nationwide.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Tenth Circuit&rsquo;s reversal of the lower court conclusively rejected the legal claims that Wyoming and others have made in opposition to the Roadless Rule.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While there is still a theoretical possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court could step in and overrule the Tenth Circuit, that appears to be a very unlikely scenario since there is no legal conflict to resolve.&nbsp;&nbsp; However, several threats to the Roadless Rule remain.&nbsp; For example, the State of Alaska has filed another legal challenge to the rule, and Congress is currently considering legislation that would eliminate the Roadless Rule altogether.&nbsp; Nevertheless, the latest court decision clearly represents a major victory for roadless area protection.</p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000Foster Burgess1509 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/update/forest-victory-roadless-rule-upheld-wyoming#commentsFrom outer space, a new dilemma for old-growth forestshttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/outer-space-new-dilemma-old-growth-forests
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-date-published field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2010-08-27T18:00:00-04:00">Aug 27, 2010</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-link field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/08/28/1590087_from-outer-space-a-new-dilemma.html" target="_blank">Les Blumenthal (McClatchy Newspapers), Bellingham (WA) Herald</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Excerpts:</p>
<p>A new study using laser pulses shot from satellites has found that the world's tallest forests are those along the Pacific Northwest coast.<br />Though the findings shouldn't shock anyone who grew up in the region, they offer another indication of how important these ancient trees eventually could become.<br />The temperate forests of Douglas fir, Western hemlock, redwoods and sequoias that stretch from northern California into British Columbia easily reach an average height of more than 131 feet. That's taller than the boreal forests of northern Canada and Eurasia, tropical rainforests and the broadleaf forests common in much of the United States and Europe. The only forests that come close are in Southeast Asia, along the southern rim of the Himalayas and in Indonesia, Malaysia and Laos. <br />&hellip; Environmentalists said cutting the tall forests wasn't the answer, because that could release up to 60 percent of the carbon that was stored in trees and the soil.<br />&quot;We need to preserve the old growth for existing (carbon) storage,&quot; said Mike Anderson, a senior resource analyst with The Wilderness Society in Seattle. Anderson didn't rule out using private lands to increase carbon storage.<br />&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div>Sat, 28 Aug 2010 04:00:00 +0000103515 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/outer-space-new-dilemma-old-growth-forests#commentsOSU experimental forest will combine science, philosophy and art to look to the futurehttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/osu-experimental-forest-will-combine-science-philosophy-and-art-look-future
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-date-published field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2009-11-06T20:00:00-05:00">Nov 6, 2009</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-link field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/11/osu_experimental_forest_will_c.html" target="_blank">Abby Haight, Oregonian</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Excerpts:</p>
<p>Writers and philosophers will join scientists, forestry and agriculture policymakers, and timber company owners in an innovative conversation on the future scenarios of climate change and changing landscapes.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.lternet.edu/">National Science Foundation</a>-sponsored project will take place at the <a href="http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/">H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest</a> through Oregon State University's <a href="http://springcreek.oregonstate.edu/">Spring Creek Project</a> for Ideas, Nature and the Written Word.</p>
<p>&hellip;The experimental forest and three other sites -- Bonanza Creek in Alaska, Harvard Forest in Massachusetts, and North Temperate Lakes in Wisconsin -- will each receive $30,000 over two years to conduct collaborative programs that engage people in the humanities and arts to communicate about the future.<br />&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000102545 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/osu-experimental-forest-will-combine-science-philosophy-and-art-look-future#commentsMarbled murrelet will keep federal protectionhttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/marbled-murrelet-will-keep-federal-protection
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-date-published field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2009-06-18T07:41:32-04:00">Jun 18, 2009</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-link field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/06/marbled_murrelet_still_a_threa.html" target="_blank">Matthew Preusch, Oregonian</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Excerpts:</p>
<p>A grapefruit-sized seabird that nests in Oregon's coastal forests is still declining and merits federal protection.</p>
<p>That is the result of a review of the marbled murrelet that reverses a 2004 determination by the Bush administration that the birds in California, Oregon and Washington were no different from their more numerous relatives in Canada and therefore not deserving of protection.</p>
<p>&hellip;The agency said the reversal was based on three things: the U.S. has far fewew birds than does Canada; the birds here are less successful at reproducing; and the differences between habitat conditions and regulations here and to the north.</p>
<p>&quot;Science has won the day,&quot; said Noah Greenwald, biodiversity program director for the Center for Biological Diversity, which was among the environmental groups praising the decision.<br />&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:41:32 +0000102039 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/marbled-murrelet-will-keep-federal-protection#commentsBLM should delay plan; Governor says WOPR is flawed — and he’s righthttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/blm-should-delay-plan-governor-says-wopr-flawed-%E2%80%94-and-he%E2%80%99s-right
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-date-published field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2008-12-12T07:46:00-05:00">Dec 12, 2008</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-link field-type-link-field field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/opinion/3989456-47/story.csp" target="_blank">Eugene Register-Guard</a></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Excerpts: Approving the governor&rsquo;s request would push the management plan&rsquo;s final approval to the administration of President-elect Barack Obama. But that outcome may already have been assured by Kulongoski&rsquo;s shrewd &mdash; and make no mistake, very intentional &mdash; decision to wait until the final day of his deadline for his response to the proposed logging plan. If the BLM rejects Kulongoski&rsquo;s plea and formally approves its plan, the governor has 30 days to file an appeal with BLM officials in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the agency must still respond to the estimated 200 groups and individuals that have filed objections to the plan.</p>
<p>&hellip;Instead of plodding ahead with an industry-driven plan that relies on clear-cutting and harvesting old growth, the BLM should have developed a state-of-the-art plan that emphasizes thinning the crowded stands of younger trees that are so abundant in Western Oregon. Such a strategy could have significantly increased timber production and generated federal payments for rural counties, while still meeting the ESA&rsquo;s stringent habitat requirements and other federal environmental laws.</p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:46:00 +0000100961 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/recent-coverage/blm-should-delay-plan-governor-says-wopr-flawed-%E2%80%94-and-he%E2%80%99s-right#commentsOregon’s Ancient Forests Win! Logging plans withdrawn at lasthttp://wilderness.org/blog/oregon%E2%80%99s-ancient-forests-win-logging-plans-withdrawn-last
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jul 17, 2009</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/old-growth-forest-Oregon-KSWild.jpg?itok=lHOXI2f4" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>As I sat down at my computer yesterday morning and looked at my overflowing email inbox, a new unread email subject line caught my eye: &ldquo;Secretary Salazar to Announce Decision on Pacific Northwest Forest Management.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The day had come! The Obama Administration would finally decide the fate of Oregon&rsquo;s ancient forests, which have been under serious threat from a Bush-era plan that proposed to more than double the amount of logging on some 2.6 million acres of Bureau of Land Management forests.</p>
<p>A few hours later we learned that the Obama Administration would formally withdraw the Western Oregon Plan Revisions, or WOPR.</p>
<p>The Obama Administration had reviewed the six plans that the Bush Administration had put in place and determined that they did not adequately comply with the Endangered Species Act. The administration also asked that a Bush-era plan that would have jeopardized habitat for the imperiled northern spotted owl be vacated.</p>
<p>All in all, a very good day&rsquo;s work!</p>
<div style="">
<iframe width="500" scrolling="no" height="500" frameborder="0" align="center" src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=47734511@N00&amp;set_id=72157621471822835"></iframe></div>
<p>But in fact, The Wilderness Society, in collaboration with other conservation groups, has worked for years to limit logging trucks of in these western Oregon forests, with their towering trees, rushing rivers and awesome array of wildlife. TWS, along with other conservation organizations, brought forth a major legal challenge that demonstrated the lack of science involved in the Bush decision. We also wrote numerous official comment letters addressed to the government and organized a public education campaign to bring attention to the plight of these forests.</p>
<p>Yesterday, our work to keep sound science, the law and good public policy at the forefront of forest management decision-making processes for American&rsquo;s beloved national lands was realized.</p>
<p> I am joined by the entire staff here at The Wilderness Society in saying that we are pleased that the Obama administration held to its commitment of making science the foundation of its decision-making processes.</p>
<p>What happens next to these forests? With the withdrawal of WOPR, western Oregon forests will once again be managed under the Northwest Forest Plan, conserving them for all of us to enjoy now and in the future.</p>
<p>This is a huge win for the coastal forests of western Oregon. Many, many people helped make this happen, including The Wilderness Society&rsquo;s <a target="_blank" href="http://action.wilderness.org/wilderness/join.html">WildAlert community</a>, who helped to tip the balance by generating more than 130,000 letters in support of preserving these treasured forests.</p>
<p>Stay tuned as we learn about the next steps the Obama Administration will take regarding western Oregon forests and as we continue to protect American&rsquo;s special public lands.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewildernesssociety/sets/72157621471822835/">If you'd like to see more of the Oregon forests that have been affected, visit us on Flickr.</a></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: smaller;">photo:</span></strong><span style="font-size: smaller;"> Oregon old growth forest. Courtesy Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, </span><a href="http://www.kswild.org" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-size: smaller;">www.kswild.org</span></a><span style="font-size: smaller;">.</span></p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:33:51 +0000102119 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/oregon%E2%80%99s-ancient-forests-win-logging-plans-withdrawn-last#comments